Chapter 3, Baby. Decided to upload the whole thing this time idk.
A/N: Heyo! I'm super sorry for how long it took for this chapter to come out. I sometimes have motivational issues when it comes to doing things, and it impacts even the things I really enjoy doing. Nonetheless, Within time, I finally finished it, and it motivated me to keep going. So don't worry! hopefully the next chapters won't be as slow as this, but if they are, please bear with me! I don't want to give you sloppy writing, so I do so when I feel my best. Love you, and thank you for reading :)
"So finally, at the end of the interview, I tell him - Guess what I tell 'em?" Nick asked, snickering throughout the explanation of his joke.
The duo made their way down the hall, Judy trying not to murder the fox in cold blood. She entertained Nick as she scrambled her book-bag for her apartment keys.
"What'd you tell 'em Nick?"
she asked, almost, no, exactly like she'd been talking to a fourth grader.
"I told the guy that he didn't have the right Koala-fications! Eh? Eh?"
"Heheh.." She let out slowly, still rummaging through her book-bag.
"Ah!" she flinched, swatting away at his paws.
"Yeah, yeah, it would've been funnier had this not be the fortieth time you've told me!"
They stopped at the end of the hall. Judy still shuffled through her bag, begging and pleading that she could find her keys, so she'd no longer have to tolerate his wisecracks.
"You wouldn't know comedy if it killed you."
He leaned against the doorway, and began to pick his claws.
"If it's your kind of humor, I hope it does." Judy mumbled, letting the jingle of her apartment keys mask the jab that she threw his way.
"I heard that." Nick nudged Judy's ear with his free elbow.
The creaking of the recently departed door welcomed them into the familiar darkness. Nick took Judy's bag, and turned to pick up his own. Judy walked into her safe haven, wiping the day off of her face. She looked around, not really knowing what she'd been looking for. It'd been a long day, so there'd be no surprise if she was daydreaming.
Her apartment had its own charm, convincing you to drop a memory each time you entered and exited. Some of her fondest memories were made here, even fonder ones to come.
Her home oddly contradicted her personality. You could see the months slowly engraving themselves into the bleak dark walls. The lavender undertones that emanated from her body, pervaded this new, cold air, making it as pungent as it's ever been before. It was intoxicating. This, along with a noticeable clean smell in the air. The way this cutesy rabbit made her bright, pastel mark upon the bleak, light grey space around her always made Nick smile. You truly couldn't miss it. Instances of magenta's and pastel blues, light pink's, yellows. Whether it be a notebook, a pillow or a shirt, it stood out, just like Judy; A blatant, yet unexpected aberrance. It was rewarding how much he could garner from something as simple as a color in her living room.
With a groan, Judy dragged herself to her room, unbuckling her utility belt.
Nick took the entirety of the home in. Although he'd been there before, these feelings could never escape him. She closed the door and left the rest of the space to Nick. The fact that she trusted him enough to leave her whole home to him for even a couple of seconds, made him feel warm inside. Someone finally looked at him for what he actually had been, rather than the species he'd been stuck with. The light ringing in his ears took over his thoughts, recovering him from his daze. Silence without Judy was silence he couldn't stand. He walked in and dropped the bags to his right, keeping eyes on the city-scape that made itself known through the wall-wide window on the far side of the room. As he inched forward, the notch of soft carpet that collided with his toes broke his concentration once more. His eyes flickered to the carpet, and back up to the window. Bedroom door, Kitchen, then the TV.
He snatched the remote from the wood stained coffee table that sat close to him. He switched the TV on, allowing the incessant rambling of the news anchors on screen to fill the emptiness. Placing the remote on the arm of the couch, he let his head fall back and took a deep breath.
A door opening. His ears moved with the creak.
The bunny moved from the shadows of the room, entering the living room with her eyes closed, attempting to adjust to the abundance of light.
Nick raced towards the light switch. He pressed it, and watched as the green dot danced up and down, as the lights began to dim.
The bunny did nothing but nod.
She made her way to the couch, light bouncing off of the folds of her flowy nightgown. She plopped down and slid her upper half sideways until her head eventually came in contact with the cushions of the couch. She let out a long sigh, that would soon be abruptly cut off by the sound of her remote hitting the ground.
The gong of the plastic remote resonated within the apartment walls, accompanied by yet another groan from the fluffy, agitated mass.
"I'll get it, my damsel in distress." Nick japed, before preening the kitchen of it's snacks and drinks.
Judy and Nick had the next day off. When they'd first become partners, Judy thought their friendship could blossom more than it had, in turn making their workflow easier to deal with. They'd been friends, even before Judy asked Nick to become her partner, so evidently, Judy wanted to do "friend things." Whatever that meant. This list included all the regular "friend things" that "friends" did. Walking in the park, visiting famous city monuments, going out to get food on select days of the week, and having movie nights. However, as time went on, and work became tougher to manage, some of these time consuming, albeit fun, activities came more and more scarce. Today had been one of those days. Usually, when both of them had the day off, they'd arrange a movie night. Scary movies, Comedies, Rom-Coms, Tragedies, you name it. Nick would come over, they'd laugh and joke, watch a couple of stupid movies, and he'd leave in the morning. Nothing more, nothing less. But this time was different. For the first time in a really long time, Nick felt...awkward. He didn't know if it'd genuinely been a long time since he'd been over, or if time just passed painfully slowly when he was alone. Time flew with Judy after all, there'd never be a dull moment.
She groaned, the gravel in her voice becoming more prominent.
"ZNN is on, and I can't stand to listen to this moose talk any longer."
"Whoa there, hot stuff, what's wrong with the news?"
He set two cups onto the counter, and turned to look into the fridge for a smoothie. Judy always made the same kind. It lasted from the beginning from the week until the weekend, and when the time came, she'd make another. With both hands, he slid the large glass container out of the fridge and onto the table. He held the container with one hand, the glass in the other, and leaned it just enough to where the smoothie came out ever so slightly..
"There's some pretty interesting stuff sometimes."
Judy rolled onto her back and shot her arm up.
"Riiight, 'cause who doesn't love listening to news anchors rub other people's tragedies in their face? Who doesn't love having the idea that someone is in danger right now shoved into conscience? I could be out there doing whatever I can to help the people in need, but my stupid brain wants to give me problems. God, I shouldn't have told Clawhauser my head hurt. Aah, That snitch!"
She clasped at the air before letting her arm drop onto her chest. Her eyes fell shut, hoping the sigh that she'd let out would drown out the voices that bombarded her ears, forever. Nick noticed the genuine distress in her voice. He looked up, with a furrow in his brow.
"Nick, we're police officers. That's what we do. We save people, not watch them get worse. If I can't do something to fix it, I don't wanna know about it."
She shuffled, turning to lay back onto her side.
A cold sensation reaching his fingers.
He quickly pulled the container away, and set it down. After drying his hands, he sidled over to the couch, picking up the remote on the way there.
Silence filled the air. An animated moose flung his arms around, detailing all sorts of presumably important things.
Nick sat down on his knees in front of her, Wishing he'd pay more heed to the headache medicine on the coffee table. Confused on how he didn't notice it beforehand, he gave the topic little thought. He dug his elbow into the space that she left over and let his head rest in his hand, while he let his other hand rest on her forehead.
"You're gonna get another headache." He rubbed his thumb back and forth on her temple.
Her eyes tightened. Nick stared at her, brows still furrowed. It was moments like these that confused him on how much she trusted him. He wanted to do as much as he could to make sure that she was comfortable. He wanted to do as much as she can so she can live her life as content as it possible could be. Being a police officer obviously didn't make it easy, but if he could make her smile even once, it showed promise for the future. A lot of mammals like to say to take things with a grain of rice, but Nick took every mannerism to heart. He couldn't help it. He really couldn't help it.
He kissed her on the forehead.
Judy's eyes fluttered open. She stared into Nick's eyes, shaking him down for everything he knew.
"You're so selfish, y'know that?"
"You're right. We are police officers. But⌠He paused.
"But it's dumb to think you can save everyone." His words took the air out of her chest. Her eyes widened and her lips parted.
Nick moved Judy's ears in front of her eyes. Her eye contact made him nervous.
The hand he once had on her forehead, gravitated towards his lap.
"If you were expected to save everyone you come across, you'd be the only one on the job... I know how hard you work, God, everyone knows how hard you work. It's almost selfish to think that there aren't other people that work as hard as you do⌠It's okay to notâŚ"
He paused. Would she understand what he was saying? He didn't want to make it seem like he was belittling her or downplaying her emotions, but he didn't want her to dwell on something that she couldn't fix. It didn't make any sense. Judy's overwhelming selflessness annoyed him. He wanted her to not care about things, like he did. Otherwise she'd be aching every day of her waking life. Even though he had everything laid out for her, It'd still been hard for him to tell her these things. What if she did understand? What if she understood a little too well, and decided to change completely? He wanted to convey the right message, without trying to force an entirely different mindset onto her.
Judy sat up, bringing Nick back to attention. She grabbed his cheeks, and kissed him on the forehead.
She pulled away, looking at him with worry.
"You're gonna get another headache." Judy mocked him.
His ears drooped, but not out of sadness.
I get what you mean, it's just a little upsetting, is all. I promise I'm not freaking out over things I don't need to be."
She understood exactly what he meant. Deep down, he knew that she'd understand what he was saying. He knew that she was going to take everything he wanted to say the way he wanted her to. Although he knew she understood him better than anyone else did, there'd still always be this inkling of doubt. When it came to almost everything, there was always an inkling of doubt. Sometimes he reprimanded himself for not being as open with Judy as she had been with him.
How can you call her selfish, when you're more selfish than she is?
His newfound thoughts rattled his brain, but he decided to push them away. For another time...always for another time.
Their smiles shone. Judy booped his nose, but couldn't shake the tinge of worry from her face.
Once more in this scenario. Eye to eye, nose to nose. But this time, it was more comfortable. No sand brushing against the side of their ankles, no wind attempting to drown out the sounds of their hearts. It was an ever growing and shrinking silence. A silence that spoke softly and nonchalantly. A silence that seeped from the walls and echoed throughout the rooms. A silence that made its way through all the creases and crevices of the floors.
"Thank you for your work today, Nick."
She met her forehead with his.
"You know me. Always here for ya." He spoke with a smoky tone.
Judy broke contact and pushed him, knocking him backwards.
"Aah!" He caught himself with his elbows.
Judy scoffed, stepping around him and making her way to the kitchen.
Nick couldn't help but stare, the way her hips swayed ever so slightly when she walked. He could feel his heart begin to beat throughout his entire body. Her hourglass figure, made prominent by the kitchen light that bathed her. He thought of her every feature. The curves, the dips, the arches. But most evident, her eyes. He fell in love with those faux apathetic eyes. Although her half lidded eyes had usually been to mock Nick, sometimes she used them to her own volition. He couldn't stand it. Those eyes, attached to a mind that he couldn't read. Residing within a body he couldn't explore.
Nick stood and brushed himself off, attempting not to lose himself in thought. He shook his head, and made his way to the bar.
"You aren't very slick, Slick."
She began to clean the smoothie spill.
She couldn't help but giggle at the finger guns he shot at her. She folded the towel she used over the handle of the oven, and began to rummage through her fridge, no longer letting hunger get the best of her. The squeak of the bar-stool Nick sat in, prompted her to turn back around, to which he whisked his head in a random direction, until he found a focal point. He began filing through a cookbook her mother gave her before she moved to the city. As expected, nothing but carrot recipes.
"Gasp! Me? No way! Whatever could you mean?"
He let the book cover his face, and after a a millisecond, slowly moved the book down to see if she'd still been facing him. Once his eyes met hers, he shot the book back up in front of his face.
Judy shook her head, a sly grin on her face.
"What's for dinner, Slick?" She asked, leaning onto the counter and pulling down on the book. The movement of the book moving Nick away from the nothingness he'd been staring at for the past minute.
"Well...We've been picking up lots of fast food on breaks, so how 'bout something healthy?"
"My, My! Look at you wanting to be healthy! Good for you, Nick!"
Judy gestured for a high five, but when the fox went for it, she swiped her hand away, turning to get to work on the food. A turn of a knob here, and the filling of a pot there. She'd been so tired, but within seconds, it seemed as if it all went away. Maybe the meds were finally kicking in. Nick watched her cover up her struggle with a hum, dancing atop a step stool as she set the carrots into a pot with water. She was so quick to assume responsibility when it came to just about anything. It just goes to show that she'll never really learn, even after that semi-serious conversation that they'd had a couple minutes ago.
Nick hopped off of the stool he'd been swiveling back and forth in, and made his way to the kitchen. He stood behind Judy, and lifted her to where she could place the carrots into the pot with ease.
"Nothin' to it. Just⌠hurry up, I ain't got all night."
"Way to ruin the moment." Judy scoffed.
"Hey, it's what I do best."
After a tedious couple minutes of swapping between holding her up and grabbing seasonings that might not have been supposed to be there, he set her down and grabbed the carrot she'd been holding, out of her hand.
"I'll take it from here. All that "headaching" you've been going through all day must have you begging for some rest, huh?"
Judy hopped off of the stool, and made her way back to the couch, She sat, and began to flip through the channels, separating interest and disinterest in mere seconds. Time passed. Not too fast, but not too slow. Nick didn't want to take too much time making food. To be completely honest, he wasn't hungry, but that wasn't going to stop him from making sure she was comfortable. The tapering scrape of cooking utensils, along with the short lived syllables of different voices that shot out of the TV, made for an oddly peaceful environment as it fought the tranquil silence that previously filled the room. After what she deemed too much flipping, Judy decided to switch to a pre-recorded soap opera that she'd reminded herself to watch earlier.
"Oh boy, pawgliacci? Nick muttered.
"That's what they all say, until you get about forty-five minutes in.."
The food, prepared, and the mammals hungry,
Nick dished out the food as quickly as he could, speaking in an obnoxious French accent.
"Ahh yes, cahrraht noodles weeth speecy zai peanut sauce fahr ze
Giggling, she took the bowl. There wasn't anything better than hearing her giggle. Hearing her laugh made his heart flutter, he wouldn't even begin to explain what her smile did to him.
He flashed her a smile, and a little giggle of his own. He turned back to the kitchen and announced as he walked.
"Eef you dahn't like eet, mahney bahck! Guarahntee!"
Through snickers and chuckles, they'd finally been together on the couch, attempting to watch the soap opera that'd been on for about twenty minutes already. It hadn't necessarily mattered, considering how they'd been chatting the whole time, paying little to no mind to the TV.
"What were you saying about the history of your farm, was it farm or family? Something like that."
"What are you even- Oh! I don't even remember, how'd you pick up on that?
"Well I was curious, so I kept it in the back of my mind. Nothing this big brain can't handle.."
He rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn't nervous, but quite the opposite. He'd been way more comfortable that he was in a long time. A tick, maybe?
"Well, I appreciate it, but it'd take way too long to go into detail about."
"That's just fine, I like long stories anyway."
He gazed at the invisible watch on his wrist.
"I've got just aboutâŚ. All night."
He smirked before setting his bowl down on the small table to his left.
Leaning into the couch, He tucked one leg underneath him, and laid his head into his fist. He wasn't going anywhere, anytime soon.
Judy smiled, but the smile faded slowly. Not because of his smug attitude, but because of how much he cared for her and the things she cared about. She loved and hated how he'd be satisfied just being around her. Why couldn't he be a lowlife, apathetic narcissist through and through? It was only once you got to know him that you found out he was so much more than that. It was only then did you find out that he actually is more than some dumb fox. He had characterâŚsubstance. He cared about things.
Although, deep down, she wanted much more than to watch this movie, she knew that that'd probably been what he was there for. Nothing more, nothing less.
"You said you didn't have all night when we were in the kitchen. What happened now?"
"Eh, my arms were tired. a life of hustlin' cute fuzzy-wuzzy bunnies takes a lot out of y- Ow!"
Another strike, landing clean on his arm.
She trailed off about the history of her family and the farm she grew up on. The different types of crops and botanical "this's" and "that's", her family tree, and surprisingly, the names of every single one of her siblings. All...275 of them⌠Big brain for a little bunny.
Judy stretched her arms, letting out the sigh she'd been holding in for who knows how long. She grabbed both bowls and made her way to the kitchen.
Nick's eyes followed her until she'd been out of his peripheral. His eyes then meandered until they came across the carrot charm she'd recently added to her phone case. He fiddled with the charm, then spoke up.
"With a nickname like Carrots, I would've expected you to eat more than two bites."
"Hey, Hey! Keep your eyes on your own food! I can eat this later, Okay? I like to savour my food. Not wolf it down like some savage beast." She mocked him.
"Woah, woah! Be careful, this savage beast is still hungry, and rabbit would be delicious right about now!"
"Then come and get it." She teased. Setting the plates down into the sink. She walked to the edge of the counter and leaned onto it with one hand, sinking into her hip. She dropped her head slightly, letting her eyes fixate on him. Letting him know that she was nothing short of serious.
Nick chuckled. She gave him permission. Nothing more, nothing less. He wasn't sure what she'd been hinting at, but he wasn't going to give up this opportunity, not just yet. He strolled over to her.
"Hehe, y'know you surprise me sometimes Carrots. I never seem to know what's going on in your head. One second you're all tired and brazen, and the next, you'reâŚ"
He swooped her up in his arms before speaking, but the bunny cut him off.
"I can be as brazen as I want."
She pulled on his collar, her breath flirting with the fur on his neck and ears.
"Scratch tired of the list, then?
"Hm, my arms were just tired."
A contagious smile grew between the both of them. The passing of time fell short and unnoticeable. They once again slipped into the same void of space, filled with a calm, pleasing silence, neither of them daring to interrupt. Until they did.
Seemingly at the same time, their lips imitated magnets, and slowly but surely, they met.
